Champagne Between Friends
by Kelly123
Summary: Ellie Nash Vs. The Holidays, round two: New Year's.
1. stupid New Year's

Disclaimer: Don't own it

So here's the follow up to "Eggnog between Friends" it's a little late for New Year's but i just hought of it. If you read that you probably know what the pairing will be...ENJOY

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Ellie Nash might have been a horrible grinch and one helluva liar, but she wasn't too fond of New Year's Eve either. It wasn't that she disliked all holidays, though she knew it must seem to most small-minded people that because she like to dress in black and listen to loud music, that celebrations of family, happiness and the like were appalling to her, but it just wasn't the case. Usually she enjoyed Christmas, just this year...not so much. She had always been revolted by New Year's Eve though, and it wasn't just because the holiday was developed almost solely for couples. Decked out in their expensive festive-wear, giggling and batting their eyelashes at each other, waiting for the clock to strike twelve so that they could get in that first kiss of the year. Stupid couples, stupid love, stupid kisses...well, that didn't make the event any more tolerable, but she had hated that night since she thought boys had cooties and considered herself lucky to be without one. 

After all, what was so special about a "New Year" anyways? What the hell was the big difference between December 31st, 11:59:99 and January 1st, 12:00:00? One measly second? What could possibly have changed in the world, in Degrassi, in herself in that one little instant that everyone was making such a clamor over? The truth was that nothing has changed. World peace was just as far away as ever, the fatties still hadn't lost any of their holiday weight, and everyone was so plastered that they wouldn't remember half of what they said or did.

That was the real reason Ellie detested that night, it gave every drunk in the world an excuse to get loaded without condemnation form their friends and family. After all, drinking was just the thing to do on New Year's Eve, wasn't it? Back when she was little and her father was still home, he had always been able to keep her mother's alcohol intake under control. The occasional glass of wine with dinner, a couple of cocktails when they had guests over, but on New Year's Eve...that was the one night of the year that he too let loose and had more to drink than he should. Without her father to stop her mother from doing too far, oh God how Ellie hated those nights. They never got drunk in front of her of course, always sent her to bed around 9:00 or 9:30 and then brought out the liquor about thirty minutes later, when they were sure little Ellie was sleeping. The thing was though; she never actually went to sleep. When she was really young she was upset that she wasn't included in the fun, and wanted to stay up and watch, peering through her post on the staircase through the rails she took in all the lights and sounds and voices with feeling of being an intruder in her own home. As she grew older the feeling stayed the same, those her purpose changed. No longer was she just there to watch the pretty ladies in their sparkly dresses dancing, but to babysit her own parents. Keep and eye on Mom and make sure she doesn't decide to make their tree more old-fashioned by putting candles on the branches and almost burning the house down. At ten she learned where Dad kept the fire extinguisher. Oh, and don't forget Dad, he gets a little violent when he's drunk so try not to let him and Mr. Burnett get too close to one another, don't want to have to call the police at 4 a.m. again. Oh, and always, always remember to start pouring gout the vodka and replacing it with water around 1 a.m., by then their already starting to get too tipsy to notice the difference. New Year's was stupid, just a chance for grown-ass men and women to act like children. Big, drunk, stupid children.

She was sure that Marco would understand her hatred for that day and reluctance to go to his big New Year's party if she told him the truth about it, but she didn't want to. She was sick of being pitied and had finally convinced most people that she was as close to okay as she was gonna get, but their thoughts still screamed out at her whenever they avoided her gaze in the hallway. Poor little Ellie, her mommy drinks too much. Poor little Ellie, she cuts herself. Poor little Ellie, Craig turned her down for his old slut.

Wait...

She was talking about New Year's, and how much she hates it. She was talking about her parents and their drinking problems. She was talking about anything and everything besides Craig Fucking Manning, so how the hell did he weasel his way into her thoughts?

Craig was going to Marco's new Year's Eve party, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

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You like? Well then, review!  



	2. stupid boys

Disclaimer: nope, not mine

Hey , forgot to put this in the first chapter but this story will be a bit AU, because Craig obviously isn't going anywhere. Tahnk you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, especially those who followedover from "Eggnog..." here it goes,

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"Hey Smelly, wait up! A male voice called out to Ellie as she was exiting The Dot, black coffee to-go in hand. 

Smelly. It was an insult really. He was saying that she stunk, gave off a putrid odor, caused flowers to wilt as she walked by, and all the other things that being "smelly" implied. Okay, so maybe she knew that's not what he meant, but still.There was still the fact that her name was Ellie and HE called her Smelly, and it was so utterly pepto-bismal-y and rhyme-y and cutesy and she-

She loved it. Craig Manning had an affectionate pet name for her and her alone. Sure, she had heard him call Manny "sweetie" and "baby" but come on, those were so generic and overused. He could call any girl "sweetie" (not that he would, of course) but he only had one Smelly.

"Smelly, hey I'm glad I found you, I was hoping that you'd be here!" he said with a smile as he caught up with her, cheeks red from the brisk last day of December air, and chin good and scruffy after not having to shave for school for a few weeks. She loved guys with beards.

"Hey Craig, what's up?" she inquired, lacing her fingers around the cheap styrofoam to-go cup in an effort to extract a little warmth from it. Damn, it was cold outside, why hadn't she worn gloves again?

"I wanted to make sure that you and Jimmy were coming to the party at Marco's tonight."

Jimmy? Why did he want Jimmy to come? Didn't he remember Marco's last party, the one where Jimmy hadn't been in attendance and where he, Craig Manning, had kissed her, Ellie Nash, under the mistletoe? Or maybe that was just it, maybe he did remember and that was why he was so anxious for Jimmy to be there, to keep Ellie away from him.

"You know Craig," She answered with a certain huff in her voice, " Jimmy and I are only "talking." It's not like we are going out exclusively or anything, and even if we were I am perfectly capable of going to a party by myself thank you very much! I don't need to hang around and be some guy's arm candy for the night. But to answer your question, yes _I _am going, but as for Jimmy if you want to know you'll just have to ask him yourself.

Raising his arms in front of his face to protect himself, Craig was obviously taken aback by Ellie's outburst. Good going Nash, open mouth, insert foot.

"Calm down there little lady," he said with just a hint of a smile on his face as she stood feeling like a complete fool and trying to appear enrapt in drinking her coffee, which by now was lukewarm and disgusting. "I was only asking because you and Marco are friends, and Jimmy and Marco are friends, and you and Jimmy, and Marco are all my friends and I just wanted to ring in the New Year with my friends!"

Friends. What a cowardly word, Ellie mused to herself as Craig continued to ramble. "I like you, but as a friend", "I think we are better off as friends", and "can't we still be friends?" what a bunch of crap, she thought. Then came from Craig's mouth one particular statement that jolted her out of her cynical daydream and back down to earth.

"And since Manny and I have decided to take a little break from "us," I figured it would be fun for the whole band to hang out tonight."

Wait, what? Did she just hear what she thought she did? No way, she had had one too many catastrophic New Year's for her luck to suddenly take a turn for the better now. Quit it with the internal monologues, Nash, he's still talking to you!

"Yeah," she replied coolly, trying to play if off as though Craig and Manny's "Break" wasn't the best news she had heard all season. "Well, I'm not too big on New Year's, but I know Marco would throw an absolute fit if I didn't go. He does get so worked up over the holidays."

"Well, I for one am glad you are going to be there," Craig said, his eyes glittering deviously, "I certainly had fun hanging out with you at his Christmas party, and after all, a guy's gotta have someone to kiss at midnight. See you in a coupla hours, Smelly!"

And with that he was gone, jogging down the sidewalk as though he didn't just cause the unshakable Ellie Nash to spit out her coffee all over the place.

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	3. stupid Marco

Disclaimer: nope, still not mine

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It's amazing to read ya'lls thoughts on what i've written, hope you like the new stuff!

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Break. What exactly did that word mean? Were they still technically "boyfriend/girlfriend?" Were they dating other people, or just not dating each other? Could Ellie really kiss Craig at midnight, or would that be considered a skanky thing to do? After all, she certainly didn't want to pull a Manny and move in on a guy whose availability was questionable. For all she knew the two of them could hook back up on New Year's Day, and she didn't want to do anything she might regret later. 

But then again, she couldn't say she was particularly surprised by their "trial separation. " Craig and Manny seemed to have a nasty habit of being temporarily infatuated with one another, followed by the inevitable destruction of whatever sort of relationship they were in at the time. For instance, they were all "butterflies in the stomach" for their first date way back when, but Craig was sick of her immaturity before they could have a second. Then they were all for screwing the night of Paige's surprise party, but afterwards Craig went running back to Ashley was soon as she would have him. And remember their perfect secret love affair? Yeah, that ended well. And not to seem redundant, but weren't they all ready for a "happy family" when Manny was pregnant? But once the baby was out of the picture, so were they. So it only seemed natural that they wouldn't last long this time around either, the poor things just couldn't help it.

With these thoughts bombarding her already frazzled brain, Ellie emitted a groan of aggravation as she pulled the black lace top she had just put on right back over her head and threw it on the ground along with the others.

Stupid Manny, for making crushing on your best friend's ex even more complicated than it already was. Stupid Craig for making her all giggly and girly and weak in the knees whenever he glanced in her direction. And stupid her for letting a stupid boy mess with her that way!

And good Lord, why the hell had she ever bought that god-awful skirt! She snarled to herself, yanking the horrid thing off and hurling it wrathfully across her bedroom.

And stupid Marco, for making this party back and white attire only. Originally he had wanted to make it all-white, with silver accessories (who did he think he was, fucking P. Diddy?) but he knew that stipulation would send his already resistant bosom buddy over the edge and away from the party. Ellie Nash, dazzling the crowd in a designer white party frock, can we act real for one second here people? But there she was, trying on and discarding outfits like your stereotypical teenage girl with her panties in a twist over some pimply high school horndog.

This certainly wasn't her.

Ellie Nash didn't care what the rest of the population thought about her, especially when her style of clothing was concerned, so why did she give a fuck now? And how come she had back at the wedding gig? (Seriously, a dress? Who the hell was she kidding!) And how come she cared tonight? How come this boy MADE her care?

Sinking miserably down to the floor, Ellie was all set to have herself one royal first-class pity party, when an odd sound from downstairs caught her attention.

It was strangely familiar and comforting, like a friend she had once been used to and had taken for granted, but had lost contact with over the years. It was a laugh. Her mother's laugh, and not the low, sarcastic chuckle she gave when she was ripped out of her mind either. It was high and bubbly, loud but not to the point of being false, just the sweet, clear, genuine laugh that had once belonged to her Mom. And there it was again, followed by a string of indistinguishable conversation. She was talking to someone on the phone, but who? Sneaking out of her room much like she had at her old home all those nights so many years ago, Ellie crouched down at the top of the staircase hoping to gain a bit more information about the mystery person making her Mom laugh. Soon, her mother's voice drifted towards her as she walked out of the kitchen, phone to her ear and a long-lost smile adorning her prematurely-aged face.

"Oh, of course I'm looking forward to it Louise! I've missed our New Year's Eve parties dearly since we moved, and I think it's about time we all got together again! Well, almost all of us of course," she faltered, thoughts briefly returning to her husband and his current location. The lapse was only momentary, though, as she shook her head and took back up the discussion at hand. "Why doesn't everyone get here around nine-ish, we can serve dinner and have a few drinks. What? Oh no, I doubt Ellie will be home, I'm sure her and her little friends will be out causing some kind of trouble tonight. Well I can't wait to see you either, Good-bye! "

A party, eh? At their house, without even a drunk Dad to restrain her even more intoxicated Mother? Maybe Ellie would have to re-think her plans for the night.

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	4. stupid Mother

So i was waiting for at least one more review before i updated, but i guess no such luck. Sparkle587, you're an absolute doll, and i appreciate your consistency. Maybe everyone will like this chapter more and submit a review...please?

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"But Mom!"

"Eleanor, that's enough. I won't have you sitting around moping all night and making my friends feel uncomfortable. You can't stay home and that's final"

"Mother, do you have any idea how ridiculous you are being? Reasonable parents want their children safe at home on a dangerous holiday like New Year's Eve, what will all the drunks out there and everything. But then again I guess most parents don't get so plastered that their children are safer out on the road than in their own home, do they?"

Mrs. Nash's hand gave a resounding smack as it collided with her daughter's cheek.

"Get out. Now." She muttered through clenched teeth, her eyes matching Ellie's as they smoldered with rage. The red-headed teen was the first to break contact, turning on her heel and heading for the door, but stopping at the threshold to get a final word in."

"Do me a favor though, would ya? Try not to burn the house down this time Mother."

And with that the door slammed shut and Ellie headed off in the direction of Marco's. God, her mother was infuriating! She was reckless, ignorant, self-centered, and most of all, dangerous. Did her time in rehab teach her nothing? But even as mad as she was right now, Ellie couldn't help but be worried as well. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head. She could only do so much to protect that woman, after all, wasn't it a mother's job to look after her child? When did the rules get switched around on her? She didn't care anymore, she couldn't care anymore, she had to focus on the present, which unfortunately happened to be that damn party.

"Ellie! You fin-ally...made...it?" Marco's face changed from that of utter glee upon her arrival to one of complete horror when he viewed her ensemble. The jeans and grey hoodie she had thrown on before going to confront Mommy dearest didn't exactly match his dress code.

"Sorry Marco, I...I...I spilled coke on my outfit for your party and..." Ellie let her voice trail off, as the fedora-adorned, perfectly accessorized, picture of fashion perfection had obviously stopped listening. She wanted to tell him the truth, and for a second there she almost had, but luckily she managed to stop herself in time. She had been keeping Marco in the dark for so long that telling him what had transpired this afternoon would just open up so many questions she didn't feel like explaining. She was okay, right? Well, at least in everyone else's minds she was, including that of her best friend, and she would rather keep it that way. After all, ignorance was bliss.

"Elle, Elle, Elle," The boy clucked, shaking his head disapprovingly but with a small smile playing at his lips. "Thankfully, today is just happens to be your lucky day (Oh god, if only he knew...) Paige couldn't decide between a couple of things to wear so she brought them over to get my opinion. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you borrowed one she didn't pick. Come on, they're in my room."

Umm, wait. Hold up, was she hearing this correctly? Ellie Nash, wear pretty, preppy, princess Paige's clothes? Stunned by the mere thought of it, she couldn't object as Marco took hold of her wrist and dragged her up to his room. And suddenly there she was, confronted with her eveningwear options, either a white, full-skirted halter-y thing that eerily reminded her of Marilyn Monroe or that black slinky number Paige had worn to go meet Matt earlier that year. For a second she contemplated refusing to wear either and just staying in her own clothes, but she knew to do so would break Marco's little heart, or at least throw off the party he had painstakingly planned down to last diminutive detail. Reluctantly, she picked up the black flimsy piece of material (flimsy was better than fluffy, right?) and shimmied into it. Thank God the scars on her arms had begun to fade and that the dress was just long enough to cover the more recent wounds on her thighs. She still felt as good as naked in that thing though, so she slipped her chucks back on and wrapped the sweatshirt around her.

Downstairs the house was already a blur of black and white as people bustled about in their best, swirling in and out around the huge tower of champagne classes stacked in a pyramid just waiting for that toast at midnight.

Champagne.

Alcohol.

Her Mother.

She didn't give a fuck, she didn't give a fuck, she didn't-but she did. She tried and lied and exhausted herself with the complexity of her feelings for her Mom, but she couldn't help it. Something in the pit of her stomach was pulling her away from the party and back home.

"Oh God Ellie, it that my dress!" Paige's voice cried shrilly out to her over the crows, causing quite a few people to turn in their direction, and jolting Ellie back from her thoughts.

"Umm, yeah. Marco said you wouldn't mind." She responded, trying desperately to seem as nonchalant as possible.

"Mind? Hells no babe, you look gorgeous!" the blonde shrieked, yanking the hoodie Ellie clutched like a security blanket out of her grasp and exposing her to the growing number of onlookers, who stood gawking at the usually so covered up Miss Nash in a get-up that left little to the imagination. Well, at least by Ellie's standards. Manny would have most likely considered it to be old maid-ish, but at least she wasn't there.

But Jimmy was. Ellie caught him eying her across the room and giving her one of his "smooth" smiles. God, she was going to be sick. Muttering something about needing to go somewhere, she slipped out of view, quickly making a break for the door once she could. Midnight was quickly approaching and she had a feeling she should be at home.

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Doesn't that purple rectangle look interesting? Come on, push it and see what happens!

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	5. stupid dress

Disclaimer: Not mine

Moirariordon: Glad you like it, because i LOVE wishworld, and it's a Craig/Ellie. Not that i have anyhting against Jimmy, i just like Craig better with Ellie.

Sparkle587: My story? Super? Have i mentioned what a DOLL i think you are?

It's drawing to a close folks, hope you like what's left!

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"What the hell?"

She had snuck in her room via this tree tons of times before, and never, never had it been so unbelievably difficult.

Maybe that had something to do with the fact that she had never attempted to climb the monstrous thing in a skimpy little cocktail dress that kept catching and slipping and riding and...eww. She had just squished a caterpillar between her fingers as she was reaching for a higher branch. Had she mentioned that she wasn't particularly fond of New Year's Eve? Right about now the only thing she was even remotely happy about was the fact that she had worn a pair of boy-short underwear that pretty much covered her ass, seeing as she had pulled that stupid dress up around her waist to try and give herself an easier time climbing. She could just about reach the limb that extended to her bedroom window, though how it had managed to grow so much between now and when she had started her trek she hadn't the faintest. She was sure it hadn't been that far away the last time she had stayed out too late practicing with the band on the one night of the week her Mother was sober. Really, her luck never failed to astound her. Screw Marco and his fucking "lucky day," that dress was on her top five of worst choices ever, and that was saying a whole hell of a lot. Just a bit further now...

"HEY SMELLY!" the all-too-familiar voice bellowed through the darkness, causing Ellie's mind to dart away from her task and her hands to lose their grip on the bark. Uh Oh.

Then all she would see was the twisting of the tree branches and the swirling of the night sky above her, and one very startled Craig Manning directly in the path below her. "Uh Oh" was an understatement.

"Woah!" he exclaimed upon catching the terrified girl in his arms, a rather messy save she must say, but at least she wasn't kissing dirt.

"Ellie, what the hell were...you...ummm..." suddenly Craig seemed to be looking absolutely anywhere and everywhere besides at Ellie. He, the king of witty comebacks was at a complete loss for words, stuttering and stammering like Tobey Issacs on a first date.

What was wrong with him? Ellie wondered to herself, trying not to think too much about the fact that a beautiful boy now cradled her in his arms. She knew that her falling from the sky in Paige's dress was a bit of a surprise, but...Oh God, it was the dress! She looked like an idiot and he didn't want to embarrass her! Quickly, Ellie glanced down to survey her disheveled condition and found...

Boobs.

Her boobs to be exact, now freed from the constraints of the strapless dress that had somehow been pulled down from her chest in the sudden and unexpected journey from the tree and out in the open for the world (or maybe just two teenagers) to see. Fuck, and she thought she had been exposed when Paige took away her hoodie, how wrong she had was! Giving a quick shriek she yanked the dress back up to its rightful position and tumbled out of Craig's grasp and onto the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she felt her humiliation subside a bit when she saw how entirely discombobulated her hero had become by her little mishap. Hmm, maybe this could be fun. Craig had been making her squirm every since that kiss at Christmas, and payback was a bitch.

"What's the matter Craig?" she said, opting to use a very dry tone rather than a seductive one, which seemed too "Manny" a choice. He glanced back in her direction with saucer-like eyes as she sauntered up to him, quickly averting his gaze when the two made eye contact.

"I mean, it's not like you've never seen boobs before." She fought back the urge to smile as he opened and closed his mouth several times like a goldfish though no words managed to make themselves heard.

"I know I don't have anything on the infamous "Santos" boobies, but come on, mine are better than Ashley's right?" By now she was directly in front of him, fixing the boy with an unrelenting stare and accomplishing her goal. Craig was obviously squirming as he struggled to answer her question.

"Well,umm...you know, they were very...ummm, nice?" He replied haltingly

"Craig, you're such a jerk!" she laughed, breaking her look of intensity and slugging him in the arm. She was already making her way back up the tree before the boy's sense's returned to him and he mouthed a silent "Ow" while rubbing his bicep.

"Smelly, where are you going?" he called, running after her.

"My room," she replied simply, "You coming?"

Craig couldn't help but smile as he scrambled up the tree after her. Damn, he loved New Year's.

But once up in her bedroom, Ellie didn't stop before heading straight for the door and crouching on the landing. Craig followed after her and surveyed the scene below them with curiosity.

"Elle, what's going on?"

Despite Craig's questions and close proximity to her, the object of her affections was the last thing on her mind right now. There weren't a great number of people downstairs, maybe five or so couples milling about with wine glasses or martini's in their hands. A blond woman Ellie believed to be named Laura had the laugh of someone who was a bit tipsy, but other than that the alcohol seemed well-managed. At first she couldn't see her mother, but after a minute or so she came walking from the direction of the dining room with a friend, gait steady, eyes clear and hands empty.

"She's sober" Ellie murmured in awe, voice barely above a whisper.

"Who?" Craig asked, following her gaze back to Mrs. Nash.

"Your Mom? Well yeah, didn't you say in group that she stopped drinking once you moved back home?" But Ellie was smiling dreamily at the laughing, happy woman her mother had become once again and didn't seem to have heard Craig.

"Elle?" he tried again, putting a hand on her leg comfortingly, "didn't you say-"

"I lied" she answered, eyes still focused downstairs.

"Oh God Elle, you could have told me" he said soothingly, absentmindedly rubbing her knee, "I would have unders-Ellie what's that?" he interrupted himself abruptly, pointing to the red gash leading up her thigh that was now peeking out from under the dress, "I though you-"

"I lied" she repeated just as quietly, a tremble barely evident in her voice, "I...I've been doing a lot of that lately."

"What? Cutting yourself again or lying?" he said, obviously peeved

"Both" a slow tear trickled down her cheek along with her confession.

"Ellie-"

But Craig was cut off as Mrs. Nash gave a loud scream and the front door began to open...

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	6. stuwait, splendid night

Disclaimer: Still not mine

Hey, thanks to everyone for the reviews, keep them up cause i love them dearly! One more chapter after this i think, so hope you like it!

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"Daddy?" Ellie said in the smallest of whispers, the only noise audible in the dead silence that had swept over the room following her mother's exclamation. The place was like a photograph, the moment frozen in time before everything changed. No one moved a muscle, batted an eyelash or uttered a sound until the calm was broken by Mrs. Nash launching herself at the tall figure as soon as he stepped through the door. Throwing her arms around his neck and bawling hysterically into his shoulder, he wrapped her up swiftly in his own arms as though she had been made to fit into them and held the woman close.

And then all of the sudden it didn't matter that Ellie hadn't called her father "Daddy" since she was about ten years old, or that just a few hours ago she had hated her Mother more than any daughter should, or that she had just confessed her desperately-hidden secrets to Craig, or that she was wearing the head cheerleader's stupid dress, or that her cheeks were going to be streaked black from tears and mascara, or that she had dried up caterpillar between her fingers, because Marco had been right, this WAS her lucky day because her Dad was HOME. Not on a peacekeeping mission, not overseas, not at an undisclosed location, not anywhere in the world except Degrassi Canada, in his living room with his wife hanging onto him for dear life and his daughter running towards him as fast as she possibly could. And then they were together, a tangle of arms and hair and tears, just as it should be. The Nash's were together again, and as dysfunctional as it might be, their family was whole once more.

It took awhile for the music and cheers bombarding them from both the TV and the neighbors celebrating out on the street to register to Ellie. At first, it seemed as though the whole world was rejoicing with her at her Father's return, instead of the passing of one year and the beginning of the next. Colonel Nash's eyes were twinkling as he wiped the last few tears from them and gazed down lovingly at his wife and little girl.

"Well look what we have here! I do believe a kiss at midnight is in order and I just happen to have the luxury of having the two most beautiful women on the face of the earth in my arms. My, oh my, I sure am one lucky guy!"

Ellie felt her heart constrict in her chest as her father kissed her forehead. He was lucky alright, but for reasons much less trivial than having someone to kiss on New Year's. Her Dad was lucky to be alive, luckier than many of the men he had stood alongside who didn't get to come home, as well as all those who would never again get the chance. She felt ashamed of her complaints earlier regarding bad luck, because in the grand scheme of things a little teenage heartbreak and a fashion mishap weren't even worth mentioning. Right now she felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world, and she didn't care in the slightest how corny it sounded.

"And you," he said, watching his wife in almost a state of wonderment after breaking their kiss "look at you, I'm so proud darling."

Mrs. Nash knew exactly what her husband was implying, and dropped her eyes to the floor in shame. He had no idea the hell she had put their daughter through since he had shipped out. All the stories, the excuses that Ellie had come up with had been for her. No child should have to lie for her mother to her father, she realized that now. She had seen her first glimpse of it when Ellie had left her, the redhead she had doctored the childhood scrapes of revealing self-inflicted scar tissue that had scared her off the bottle...for a little while. But it had been just earlier that night that the stupidity of her own actions had really sunk in. Ellie's eyes flashing with an all-too-familiar fire as she made quite logical points backing up her request to stay in at New Year's. And she had been right, most parents would want their children safe at home, but she had been blinded by the allure of getting smashed with her friends to see that. Her daughter's words had stayed with her though, nagging in her ear as the Merlot was poured and the cosmo's were shaken, so strong was it that she had passed up the glass handed to her, over and over that night, opting for water and soda rather than liquor. And never before had she been happier with her decision, the look on her husband's face as he took in his sober wife...it was priceless. Of course, she must tell him the truth in time, but as for now it was nice to just enjoy how everything felt without the numbness of alcohol.

"It's Ellie you should be proud of, dear" she replied, running a hand down her daughter's cheek and smiling when the teen didn't shirk off her touch, "she's been the strong one here, must take after her father I guess!"

Colonel Nash chuckled and the compliment and for the first time took in his daughter's outfit. "Well now Elle, don't you look just ravishing this evening! Don't tell me you got all gussied up for your mom's party, a young lady like you should be out enjoying the holiday with her friends looking like that! But then again" He stated with a tone of mock fatherly concern "I'm not too sure if I want boys seeing my little girl looking so devastating, I am licensed to carry a gun you know!"

"Oh Dad!" Ellie grimaced, rolling her eyes "This dress definitely wasn't my idea, but I was at Marco's party and...well, I just decided it was time to call it a night and come home, that's all."

"Ahh, I see. And did you bring some company with you?" He responded, pointing to an out-of-place brunette boy still lurking upstairs, who gave a feeble wave upon being spotted.

"Him? Oh, that's Craig, he's...'

But what exactly was Craig? The boy she had promised along with Ashley to hate until the end of time? The boy who had been there for her this summer when both of her best friends and her boyfriend weren't? The boy who had broken her heart into a million pieces at a wedding? The boy who had kissed her under the mistletoe? The boy who had been her everything but technically wasn't anything to her at all?

"He's the lead singer in our band." She finally answered, "And he's one of my best friends. Hey Craig, come down here and meet my Dad!"

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	7. splendid New Year's

Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it

Okay guys, here it is, the grand finale! I'm really happy with how it all turned out and i hope you all are too. Thank you so much to each and every one of my reviewers, reading them is like Christmas, but in February...yeah, i love them whatever the month may be. So here we go, the last chapter of Champagne between Friends! (what other drinks go with holidays? Who knows, maybe i'll be writing Green Beer between Friends soon, St. Patrick's is just around the corner...)

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"Oh wow, what a night." Ellie said with a sigh, collapsing into a sitting position on her front porch, a blanket from inside tucked snugly around her to ward off the crisp January air.

"Yeah I know what you mean," Craig replied, leaning up against the house and sliding down until he was seated next to her, pausing for a second to re-consider his words. "Well, maybe I don't know what it's like to have your Dad come back after being gone in the military for so long, but you get what I'm saying. It certainly has been an interesting evening." He drew his legs up to his chest in an attempt to keep himself warm and shot a sideways glance at the girl next to him. "Hey Nash, how's about you be a little more generous with that blanket there? You let all the guys who come over freeze to death, or just the devastatingly-handsome ones?"

Ellie rolled her eyes at his comment but opened up the blanket regardless, painfully aware of her scantily-clad form once again as Craig scooted in closer to her and drew the quilt around them. The two sat in silence for a bit, his clothed left side warming Ellie's bare right arm and leg under the secrecy of the blanket. Around them Degrassi had quieted a little, but for the most part was still abuzz with celebration, as was the party inside Ellie's house that had resumed at Colonel Nash's insistence. The two teenager's, however, had retreated to the seclusion of the porch once the adults had begun asking them how school was going, the usual, "how are your classes?" and "what are your plans for next year?" were not something they felt like dealing with after all the night had offered. Almost reflexively, Craig slung an arm around Ellie's goose-bumped shoulder and she burrowed into him for warmth before he broke the comfortable hush.

"I wonder how the party over at Marco's is going? He said into the mass of red curls his chin was rested upon, "I hope he forgives us for not being there tonight."

"Hey yeah, speaking of which, why aren't you there Manning?" Ellie inquired, the strangeness of Craig's random appearance outside her window tonight finally dawning on her.

"I-uh, I was," he replied haltingly, suddenly seeming uncomfortable with their close proximity to one another, "But you know, it was pretty lame so I decided to head back home."

"Lame? Marco's party was anything but lame. Loud? Yes. Glitzy? Definitely. But Lame? Not our Marco! And besides, when you're leaving Marco's my house is completely in the opposite direction of the Jeremiah residence. So again, how the hell did you end up here?" She titled her head up to look Craig in the eye, but found the boy staring out across the street into the distance.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't call it lame, but it wasn't really my scene is all."

"Your scene? Aren't you Mr. Aloof tonight! Ooo, Craig Manning, too cool for High School parties! What's next, too cool for your High school friends?" she teased, poking him tauntingly and trying to rid him of the awkward grimace he had taken on, "Are you too cool for little ole Eleanor Nash!" she gasped, mockingly.

"Yeah, that's why I came here to look for you when I couldn't find you at Marco's." he muttered without thinking, face tightening visibly once he realized all that he had let on. Smooth Manning, real smooth. Way to play it cool. "What I mean was, you know, you said you were gonna be there, but you weren't so... so I just wanted to make sure you were okay." But the soft tone he had taken momentarily was gone just as quickly before his voice hardened disdainfully and he regained his sarcastic edge. "But please don't get all feminist-y on me and flip out about how you are perfectly capable of deciding whether or not you want to go to a party and how you don't need a guy to escort you, cause we've already been through that once."

"Ahh, come on now! That tough guy routine isn't going to work on me!" Ellie responded in a sing-song voice, obviously delirious with exhaustion, cold and the cute boy next to her. "You missed me, you wanted to hang out with me, you were worried about me! You're so sweet Craig-y, did you bring me a fluffy-fluff stuffed animal too!"

"Well at least I'm not the one all dolled up in Paige Michaelchuck's leftovers." He shot back weakly, ashamed to his too-cool-to-care façade had been cracked.

"Are you saying you don't like my dress? Really, cause I thought that it was rather flattering." She said, squeezing her arms together in order to force a little cleavage to pop out over the neckline of the frock. Yeah, she was definitely delirious, but what the hell? Even Ellie Nash has got to cut loose some of the time.

"Whatever Smelly." He replied, good-naturedly tousling her hair, but at the same time pulling the girl in closer to himself. Again they let silence overtake the conversation, enjoying the budding stillness as the town began to grow tired of the night's festivities. Ellie wished it could always be like this, just two kids teasing and flirting harmlessly with one another, without any of the awkwardness that seemed to feed off teenage infatuation. Tonight she could laugh and shove her chest in his face, but tomorrow? Would they be back to the same platonic friends who tried to ignore the palatable tension that always seemed to cloud the room whenever they were together? Well, at least she tried to ignore it, she wasn't sure if he could even tell it was there. Oh well, boys will be boys.

When Craig finally did start up again, it was on a far more serious note, "Ellie..." he began apprehensively, "When did you start cutting again?"

She knew this was going to come up, knew the night had taken too much of a turn for the better to let her off that easily. She knew, but still she had hoped he might forget.

"Shh, let's not talk about that right now." She said, closing her eyes and trying to wash the memory as far away as possible.

"But we need to. I care about you way too much to just stand by and let you hurt yourself."

"Yeah I know, and we will... just not tonight. Okay? I want to end it on a high note, because of my Dad and all."

"Okay, I understand. But as for tonight, I'm pretty sure it's already ended. Well, last night ended and now it's tomorrow morning. Not _tomorrow_, tomorrow morning, but today morning, cause midnight was awhile ago." He paused for a second and contemplated his jumbled statement before disregarding it with a shake of his head. "What I meant was, Happy New Year's Smelly."

Ellie chuckled lightly, "Happy New Year's to you too Craig. Sorry you didn't get that kiss at midnight." She couldn't help the slight blush that crept up her cheeks and hoped he couldn't see it in the darkness.

"What kiss? Oh, you mean you? That's okay, a better man beat me to it. And anyways, I didn't really want to kiss you at midnight." He said deviously

"Umm, it's cool, I understand." Ellie answered quietly, getting that same sinking feeling in her stomach as she had when Manny came waltzing up all skanked-out before the wedding gig. Now she was the one avoiding his gaze.

"You see, I could kiss any girl at midnight on New Year's, because it's expected" a finger snuck under her chin and lifted it so that their eyes met, "But I'd much rather kiss you on January the first, and the second, and the third, and..."

But his words were cut off as her lips met his and silence once again reigned on the Nash front porch. Well, it was almost silent, they had been waiting a long time for this after all.

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So what do ya say we make the last chapter to review a blow-out?

More reviews than ever before, newcomer's welcome! Come on guys, PLEASE!


	8. epilogue

**Hey y'all, remember this story?**

**Okay, alright, I'll admit it. Writing that multi-chaptered epilogue-y thing to "In love with the moonlight" got me on a bit of an epilogue rampage. By tying up the loose ends for that fic, and in the process pretty much just writing a sequel, this little add-on to the story came to mind . I finished "Champagne Between Friends" ages ago, but I couldn't help but to think about writing a bit more for it a few weeks ago while I was on vacation, and during my flight home I began to formulate a rough storyline. I probably could have thought it through some more and stretched it out, making it into a chapter story, but I would hate to mess up the "Eggnog Between Friends," and "Champagne Between Friends," flow with an epilogue to a sequel. You know, like EBF, then CBF, then CBF2? No bueno. Does that make sense? I'm a little OCD about certain things, and this sort of stuff is one of them. So instead it is just a rather long (for me, at least) and kind of rushed account of the events that followed that night on the Nash porch five years later. I hope you enjoy...**

**Champagne Between (more than) Friends**

_Disclaimer: None of it is mine but the idea, and that's not worth much anyway._

_A/N II: Oh yeah, and I don't have any idea how old Angie was last season, so I am just going to pull a number out of my ass and go with it...like lets say...ten. So five years late she would be fifteen, and if Craig and Ellie are roughly seventeen in January, then lets say they are twenty-two now. Okay, I'm done for real now. Enoy!_

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Craig was nervous, and that was strange.

Of course, no one else on the plane could tell, because Craig Manning is nothing if not composed in almost every aspect of his life. Do not overlook my inclusion of the word _almost_ here folks. Even if the other bored, sleepy travelers in coach did notice him, their gaze most likely was drawn by the rugged handsomeness that had only become more breathtakingly evident as he had aged, and not by his subtle anxiety. If they had sensed any unease though, it would most likely have been attributed to the usual flying jitters.

But I know my boyfriend better than that.

Few things manage to unnerve Craig Manning, and flying isn't one of them. His little sister Angie growing up, on the other hand, wearing make-up, getting boobs, and talking to boys, now that particular subject keeps him up at night. Which, naturally, keeps me awake as well, stealing away from the few hours of precious sleep I so truly deserve. It isn't uncommon for him to roll over at three a.m. and whisper a loud, "Elle, you awake?" repeatedly until he has succeeded in making me so. Upon my groggy stirring, he immediately commences his incessant questioning as a means for some insight into the teenaged female psyche, somehow forgetting that I wasn't quite your typical adolescent girl. He, however, was pretty much the standard horny teenaged guy, and his knowledge of _their_ psyche has led to many an concerned conversation. However, I had actually enjoyed a goodnight's sleep for the past week, so that couldn't be what was stressing him out now.

Maybe it was the whole "going back home" thing. Joey and Angie had flown in to New York to eat Thanksgiving dinner at our cramped apartment back in November, and my parents had made the trek to spend Christmas in the states (opting to stay at a nearby hotel), so we were returning the favor by coming up for New Year's. But it's not like there was anything for him to be afraid of in Degrassi though, actually far from it. Since my fathers return from the military, my relationship with my parents had been going steadily uphill...though the distance between us might have had something to do with it. Situations were also pleasant on the Jeremiah home front, the burden of Craig's college tuition off of his stepfather's shoulders courtesy of the enormous estate of Albert Manning. It couldn't be that he was dreading running into any of our old classmates either, because as far as two university kids go, we were actually doing pretty well for ourselves. Sure I might have caused a few jaws to drop when I abruptly switched my major from journalism to social services my sophomore year, and hey, it _was_ a bit unexpected that Craig up and decided he preferred things behind the microphone as opposed to in front of it, but still, we were happy. And after all, who really ends up with a career in the occupation they chose when they were eighteen, anyway? Isn't college all about finding yourself?

As a matter of fact, I was looking forward to seeing old Degrassi again. The last time we visited had been over two years ago, back when Angie had had her appendix removed. She had enjoyed milking every ounce of sympathy out of her big brother, and in turn he had loved fawning over her as he had so missed since we left for school. The trip _had_ ended on a rather sour note though, since my father was none too please to discover the two of us had moved in together. But still, I kind of understood where Dad was coming from, the whole, "my baby girl and only child is living in sin" thing would have been hard for any parent to swallow really. And I think that after awhile my father saw our side of things too, because the whole situation was resolved via a few dozen phone calls, ending with a conversation between the two men in my life that I was not permitted to be in the room for. Craig hung up seeming happy though, so what in the world was bothering him now!

"Hey." I whispered, nudging him slightly with my elbow, though failing to tear his attention away from the window situated on his left. "Hey!" I said a little more fiercely, but he still did not seem to hear me. "HEY!" I finally all but yelled, jabbing him viciously in the ribs with a forcefully aimed elbow.

"OOOF" came his guttural reply, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the clouds just beyond the glass and shifting in his seat to face me. "What was that for?" whined my dark-haired companion, rubbing his injured side a bit more melodramatically than I think was called for.

Ellie Nash, however, did not give him an explanation or an answer. I just smirked my sexiest smirk, gesturing alluringly with my eyes towards the direction of the airplane bathroom.

No response.

Wait...huh? I certainly wasn't expecting that.

Now thoroughly irritated, I gestured again, this time adding a jerk of my chin to the motion, and for good measure, prodding him with my elbow once more.

"God Ellie, stop elbowing me, would you!" he exclaimed, and with that he turned to face the window once more, still rubbing his damned side as though I had cracked a rib.

What...the...hell. Craig Manning turning down sex? Oh yeah, something definitely had to be up.

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Angie and Joey picked us up from the airport, my own parents busy setting up for the New Year's party they would be throwing tonight. Craig frowned in brotherly distaste at the amount of eyeliner rimming Angie's lids, but swallowed her up in a tight embrace regardless. He hugged Joey next, teasing the man good-naturedly about his short stature, and I wondered if I had been imagining his oddness on the plane. He certainly seemed his old self, a view only reinforced when he slung an arm around my waist and pulled me close after the four of us had finished exchanging greetings. Now this was the man I was used to.

After dropping off our bags at Joey's place (we figured it would be better to stay away from my father as far as sleeping arrangements were concerned), we headed over to the new house my parents had recently moved into. One without a once-burned kitchen and an bedroom abandoned by a long-gone daughter hadn't really enjoyed spending time inside its four walls in the first place. They were running all over the place, and though we did our best to help out, we didn't really have a clue as to where anything was and I am afraid we only ended up getting in the way. Finally though, when the hors d'oeuvres were prepared, the silverware shined, the glasses set out, and the champagne on ice, it looked like we were ready. It was then that Joey made for the door, explaining that he would be dropping off Angie at a friends for the night, but would be back in time to "rock 'n roll" with the rest of us. I expected Craig to grimace at his stepfather's pathetic terminology, but instead his face took on a different type of pained expression.

"What? You two are leaving?"

"Uh, yeah Craig. I don't think Ang would have much fun hanging out with us old folks all night."

"But...but you can't." He stumbled, obviously searching for some sort of reasoning to defend his plea. Oh yeah, the oddness was returning. "I mean, you can't take a fifteen year old to an unsupervised party on New Years. Drinking, drugs, sex, who knows what trouble she could get in to? Especially dressing like that!" He reasoned, throwing an agitated arm in the direction of his little sisters ensemble, which honestly, wasn't anything unexpected for her age.

"What the crap?" retorted Angie, "Who said anything about a party Craig? Pretty sure Dad is just going to drop me off at Sarah's to spend the night, _with_ her parents present. He wouldn't let me go to Nick's party, even though-"

"Drop it Angela." Warned Joey, a look in his eyes saying all too plainly that the two of them had been through this discussion before.

"So if it's nothing special then why not just stay? I mean come on, its been years since I spent New Years with my whole family!"

True, yes, but strange how the subject had never really bothered him before. New Year's wasn't particularly a "family-oriented" sort of holiday in the first place.

"Well, I guess she can stay, if it means that much to you." mused Joey "But just why do you want us to be here so badly?"

It was done in an instant, the exchange between Craig and my father so brief that I wondered if I had imagined the two of them locking eyes for one sharp moment before looking away. But it _had_ happened, though no one else seemed to have noticed it but me.

"No reason," Craig muttered, his gaze drifting about the room, "No particular reason at all."

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Surprisingly, the party was fun. Mom stayed sober, Angie seemed to enjoy herself despite being the youngest person there, and Joey and my Dad appeared to be engaged in an enthusiastic conversation, though as to the subject I have no clue. An even bigger surprise though, was that Marco managed to drop in unannounced, having flown in from Milan to spend the winter holidays with his family. Flabbergasted, I had no idea that my best friend was even in the country, much less in town, since during our last phone call he had alluded to not having the money for an international plane fare right now. I launched into him the moment I spotted his designer-clad form strutting its way across the room, and proceeded to berate him viscously for lying so deviously to his oldest and closest pal. He in turn threw his arms around me, exclaiming "I'm glad to see you too Elle!" with such a wide grin that I was given the impression he knew something I didn't. Craig suddenly materialized at my shoulder to greet him next, though from their casual embrace I got the feeling that he wasn't surprised in the least to see Marco show up in our home town thousands of miles away from the country he now resided in. Hmm...

From that point on the night flew by, and I can honestly, cheesily say that I was having an absolutely amazing time. Yes, I was back in Degrassi, and yes I was spending New Years Eve with my parents, but in any case, I was _still _having an amazing time. Back in High School, when all I wanted to do was get the hell out of this place and be done with everyone in it, I never thought I would find myself here. Twenty-two years old and completely content with my life, laughing sincerely with my mother, talking with my first boyfriend about his current boyfriend, and utterly in love with Craig Manning. Time certainly is a crazy thing.

Like how suddenly the time was a quarter until midnight and I hadn't even realized it!

Suddenly the crowd was abuzz with anticipation for the countdown, my boyfriend was nowhere to be found, and Marco had an incredibly irritating little smirk on his face. Ignoring my strange Italian friend, I scanned the crowd for a tall head of dark hair, finally spotting him standing over by the drink table with my parents and his family. Catching my eye, he smiled and motioned for us to head over, holding three flutes of champagne above him in the skilled manner a broke college kid acquires after waiting on way too many tables and carrying way too many drinks at one time. I couldn't help but smile, for no particular reason really, just at _him_, and grabbed Marco's arm to head over towards everyone.

"Where did you scamper off to Mr. Manning?" I called over to him as we neared, "You had me worried I wasn't going to have anyone to kiss at midnight!"

"Oh don't exaggerate Ellie, of course you would have had someone. Marco is right beside you silly girl!"

"Ahh yes, I forgot about that. Okay, run away again now, I don't really need you after all."

Yeah Craig, I mean, it's nothing I haven't done before anyway." Marco replied, cocking an eyebrow and snaking an arm around my waist.

"Uh, no. Back off my woman, now dude." Craig said with a grin, replacing Marco at my side and setting the flutes in our hands.

"See Dad, you're letting Craig drink! It's not fair!" whimpered Angie, pointing a finger at the drink her brother held.

"Fair? He's twenty-two and you are fifteen Angela, fair doesn't really have anything to do with it. You'd better think of another argument, because there really isn't much credibility in that one."

She grimaced and made a face to continue her plight, but was cut off by someone bellowing a deep "TEN!" at the top of their lungs to signal the countdown. Quickly everyone else followed suite, including our little group. Looking around me as I shouted with the crowd, I took in the faces of pouting Angie, determined Joey, clear-headed Mom, tipsy Dad, expectant(?) Marco, and finally, Craig. _My_ Craig, smiling as if his face would break but still looking strangely tense and even more strangely fearful. But I was too happy to really worry much about that, because this was nice, all of us being here together, it was just so...nice.

"...TWO...ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" came the cry erupting from the room around me, and I raised my glass in a toast with the people who had come to mean so much to me. Bringing the flute to my lips, I opened my mouth to take a sip...and felt a distinct metallic "CLICK" against my teeth.

Furrowing my brow in confusion, I held the flute up to the light and gazed through the remaining liquid in an attempt to identify the foreign object. And then, lying in the bottom of the glass, I saw it. A thin silver band, ornamented by a single, small diamond bauble.

Breathless, my eyes shot upward, instantly seeking Craig's and locking into his gaze. Had I been able to see anything but this beautiful boy before me, I would have noticed Marco, and the fact that he had his own empty flute clutched in both hands against his heart and was all but jumping up and down as he stared at us. I would have seen Joey, finally giving in to his daughter and letting her sip his champagne before turning his attention perplexedly to us. I would have seen my parents, the proud, knowing way in which my Father was smiling at me, and the happy gasp my mother emitted as she brought a hand up to her mouth. I might have even noticed now quiet the once thunderous room had grown, and how everyone's attention had shifted in my direction. I might have taken in all these sights if I had been looking elsewhere, but I wasn't. I was gaping openly at the boy, no, man, before me, and the full glass in his hand he hadn't thought to sip, and the tense muscles straining in his neck, and how he looked more terrified but at the same time more hopeful than I had ever seen him.

"Oh God." I whispered, tears rapidly collecting in the corners of my eyes.

"Oh God what?" he whispered back, placing his drink on the table beside us without breaking eye contact.

"Oh God YES!" I sobbed, smiling so big my cheeks would have hurt if I had been thinking clearly enough to notice them, "Oh God YES, YES, YES!"

Immediately he crossed the short distance between us, retrieving the utterly perfect wedding ring from my glass and slipping it on my finger, holding my left hand carefully and bending to kiss the knuckles lightly. His hands slipped away from my own and glided up my shoulders before finally coming to rest on either side of my face, thumbs wiping the happiest tears I have ever cried away from my cheeks.

"I'm so glad you came flying out of a tree wearing Paige Michaelchuck's dress and flashed me five years ago Smelly." He said in a voice barely audible, but with that Manning sheen in his eyes.

"Me too." I whispered back with a smile, tilting my chin up to capture his lips in a kiss and dropping the almost-empty flute carelessly and letting it shatter against the ground now that it had been relieved of its precious content.

"Wow," I vaguely heard Angie whisper in the background, "Now THAT'S a kiss for a New Year."

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**AHH! I'm such a dork that I am all giggly over my own story! I want to get engaged! And I want it to be New Years! And I want to know what you all thought about this strange little scenario I have concocted! Okay, so that's the end, really and truly this time ! Good God Kelly, enough with the exclamation points!**


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